The Sweet Truth: University researcher creates a giant mountain of sugar to teach the unsavoury lessons of over-consumption
A two-tonne mountain of sugar will be on display at Federation Square on Saturday 24 August, 10am – 5pm, as part of a University of Melbourne researcher's plan to get people talking about the startling amount of sugar many Australians consume in a lifetime.
The Giant Sugar Mountain will be on exhibit at The Atrium in Fed Square from 10am-5pm on Saturday 24 August. Image credit: Envato
The Sweet Truth: What’s Sugar Doing to My Body also includes interactive quizzes, experiments and videos on the history of sugar and how it travels through the body, to help visitors of all ages understand the long-term health implications of excessive sugar intake. The exhibit is part of National Science Week and is supported by a National Science Week grant from the Federal Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
In Australia, the average person consumes approximately 67 grams of free sugar per day, equating to almost two tonnes over a lifetime. Hidden sugars in everyday foods are contributing to an epidemic of chronic disease including diabetes, obesity and heart disease, that impact people’s quality of life and burden our over-stretched health system.
Trained paediatrician and instigator of the project, Dr Sarah Hanieh says that “with diabetes and obesity rates rapidly on the rise across Australia, there has never been a better time to reconsider our sugar consumption.”
Dr Hanieh, who is a Senior Research Fellow in the Global and Indigenous Health Group at the Doherty Institute, came up with the idea as founder of GASP!Science.
“Our goal at GASP!Science is to take your breath away,” said Dr Hanieh, about her organisation, that stages installations and events that use the element of surprise to engage the public in conversations about science. She says that making sugar consumption visible in such a shocking way is designed to help Australians to think about what they consume when they go to the supermarket.
“I hope that visitors to Fed Square will remember the mountain when they’re at the supermarket and learn how to make more informed choices about the products we consume,” she says.
Dr Hanieh argues that one problem associated with overconsumption of sugars is the lack of easy-to-understand information on packaging.
“There are over 400 different names of added sugars in processed foods and these sugars contribute significantly to calorie intake without providing nutritional benefits.”
Dr Hanieh acknowledges that processed foods are often cheaper and more convenient for families to provide than whole foods, underscoring the need to improve access to healthier, whole food options for all communities.
The Giant Sugar Mountain will be on exhibit at The Atrium in Fed Square from 10am-5pm on Saturday 24 August and families are invited to visit and participate in fun and educational activities connected to the installation.